


red light indicates doors are secured

by brandywine421



Category: Daredevil (TV), Deadpool (Movieverse), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Werewolf, F/M, M/M, Mating Bond, Multi, Pack Bonding, Pack Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-07-30
Packaged: 2020-07-26 00:49:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20035108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brandywine421/pseuds/brandywine421
Summary: A totally unsexy story in a world with wolves - The Defenders are thinking about becoming a Pack but Matt's been keeping secrets.  What's new?*warning for werewolf-related violence and Wade.





	red light indicates doors are secured

**Author's Note:**

> I totes abandoned this on my tumblr but the muse was all _'wtf brah I was just taking a nap why you gotta do me like that' _so I tried to make it right and wrote a whole story. *pets offended muse*

"Pack," Danny said, breaking the easy silence after tonight's accidental adventure.

Jessica winced into her beer when Luke's eyes lit up with interest. Matt didn't react, he was pretty dedicated to sprawling dramatically across the rug in front of the fireplace.

"Wasn't interested when I got the bite, still not interested," Jessica replied.

"Yeah, I made it through five years in jail without joining up, don't know if it would mean anything now," Luke shrugged.

"What about you, Matt?" Danny called out.

"Church counts as Pack, it's how I work with the orphans without state surrogate certification. The nuns and priests don't go on moon runs, they fast and pray - so volunteers, Pack, take any Pups out."

"That doesn't really count for the 'experience', does it? I mean, wouldn't we be stronger if - " Danny wound up.

"None of you are mated?" Matt interrupted softly, thrumming his fingers against his thumb without moving the rest of his body.

"Whoa, that's crazy talk. Pack is one thing," Jessica said, climbing off the stool. "Wait, are you?"

Matt flopped over on the rug to give his other side warming attention. "Got three. No probably, two and a half now - haven't checked the marks in a while."

Danny's face twisted with shock. "Hard stop, dude, you have mates? Like, bonded - "

"Yup," Matt hummed. "They don't do packs and needed the stability of a bond."

That sounded - "Suspicious," Jessica decided, bringing her beer over to the fire.

"Yup," Luke agreed. "Sounds almost like - but we'd know.'

"Bonded omegas don't have scent markers," Danny said.

"Win-win," Matt yawned. "Couple of unstable wolves get their sanity checks and I get to keep my anonymity."

"Alphas?" Jessica growled, surprising herself.

Matt finally seemed to snap out of his lazy post-battle daze. "Is it a problem?"

"It's just - news. I'm over here trying to get a Pack together and - dude. You're an omega," Danny answered.

"We'd have wolves lining up to join our pack if we had an - " Luke started.

"No," Jessica cut him off, sensing Matt's flare of anger. "We'd be a closed Pack. No outsiders. He's Matt, not Omega."

"Wouldn't work. My mates would have to sign off on it and - they don't play well with others. Beta would, not the Alphas," Matt said. The two and a half still didn't make sense.

"Yet we all seem to be talking about it like it was a possibility in the first place," Luke said.

"We'd be a complete set. Strong," Danny said in a low voice.

* * *

The last thing Natasha sees in color is red red red - red eyes, red stained fangs, red dripping claws - but she's already dead - she's already in her wolf form and at the mercy of these operatives with the poison darts - the prick of pain hadn't been enough warning - she's going to die here -

But she's not the only wolf in this alleyway now, she's down, stunned with whatever was in the dart but she watches the new wolf - he's quick and invisible, blending into the already black shadows like he's part of it.

She remembers the stories about the Devil and it's more than the paralytics in her system holding her in place. He's savage and brutal, ripping fingers and snapping leg bones but she hears more screams of pain than dying breaths and wonders - the stories can't be true - he can't leave them alive, they'll never stop looking for him - but a splatter of blood hits the pavement and her vision goes completely.

*

She starts to come out of the tranq and realizes she's inside. She's - in a bathtub with no water and the strange wolf is sniffing at her.

She's still too weak to protest when the strange wolf drags in a blanket and attempts to cover her with it. She growls but ducks her head when she hears a key in the lock and lets him tuck it over her form. The sound of bones and flesh crunching and knitting together into a man shape makes her growl again. Why can't she shift?

The voices are unfamiliar but enlightening and the words are only slightly muffled from the blanket covering her ears.

_"Seriously, Matt, you're fighting Russians again?"_

_"Is that who they were?"_

_"Worse - local cops had to turn the whole place over to the Feds, or someone higher, but you didn't hear that from me. Is that a syringe?"_

_"Some kind of dart, do you think you can figure out - "_

_"Nope, did you not just hear me say government involvement? That's way above both our pay grades."_

_"But."_

_"Don't tell me."_

_"Got a stray stuck in shift, don't really want to turn her over to the government or the Russians considering how bad they were trying to bring her in. You know I have a problem with - "_

_"Leashes, yeah, and fuck you. Do you need - "_

_"She's not physically injured, just - stuck. No offense, but it's probably not a good idea for you to come near her with a needle."_

_"Flushing her system was going to be my recommendation, so without an IV, just hydrate hydrate hydrate. I'll see what I can find out about your dart but the second I get a whiff of the Feds - "_

_"Ditch it. Don't risk your job, or your safety, but thanks."_

_"Thank me later. Also, there's a lot of blood in your hair."_

_"I will make a note of it."_

Huh. Civilians - no, even better - a vigilante with a medical contact. Maybe she's not going to die here. Maybe she won't have to kill the man that saved her to keep her cover story. Maybe...

He pulls the blanket from her and drops it in a puddle on the bathmat. She flattens her ears and studies him.

It takes her entirely too long, wolf-form or not, to realize that he's blind.

The Devil is a wolf with red, glowing eyes. The Devil doesn't know her secret but his weakness is on full display.

"Did you hear all that?"

She raises a paw and he flinches slightly, sensing the movement. He's a mystery she's going to enjoy solving.

"It'll be daylight soon or else I'd tell you to scram but you're welcome to wait it out or - "

She pushes her snout under his hand and he goes still. She's staying until she can talk to him with real words.

* * *

  
"Danny and Luke think we might make a good Pack," Jess said. "What do you know?"

"That's - complicated," Foggy whistled appreciatively.

"As we have just learned," Jessica stated.

"Oh. The _mates_," Foggy sighed. She waited. "Yeah, I know 'em."

She continued waiting and he sighed again.

"OG Alpha is the one you have to look out for - she's mean, like, _scary_ mean. Second one is - not as mean, just dangerous. Matt's really protective of that one."

"And the half? He said he has two and half,"' Jessica demanded.

Foggy rolled his eyes. "That one's complicated. It may have faded completely - I never met him."

Jessica sighed instead of letting him have all the frustration. "So what are we going to do?"

"Honestly, if Matt's even open to discussing a Pack when he's turned me and Karen and - everyone down before - then you should probably go all-in," Foggy said after a beat.

**Wait**. "You support this?"

"Matt needs a family, he's - he deserves to know what Pack feels like, that church shit be damned. All he's ever let himself have are mating bonds with lone wolves as broken as he is."

* * *

  
_"Ain't got no beef with you, Devil - just here to - son of a - "_

Wade growls as a shadow tackles the annoying Punisher off the roof into a dumpster below with a rewarding clatter and squish. He howls his approval and limps to the edge of the roof to see if the fucker's finally down. The shadow turns out to be a wolf with fiery red eyes that laser in on his broken soul.

Shit - he's cursed - finally the devil's coming to get his soul and put him down - hallelujah -

Ow!

The wolf pins him in human form - he should have known he was too beat up to shift back - Devil Dog bares snarling teeth and glowing eyes that will surely haunt his nightmares in hell and Wade forgets for a moment that he's been trying to die for decades and possibly screams like a terrified pup.

Devil Dog barks sharply once and then lets out a flurry of angry yips that Wade processes as 'defending his kill' from the Punisher - or defending his catch - either way - he's being defended and considering both his kneecaps are currently gaping holes - he needs the fucking assist.

"You're out of bounds, Frank, and you fucking know it." Ooh, Devil had a sexy batman voice, Okay Daddy.

"I'm not dropping a mark just because - "

"Get out of my borough, Castle. We have rules for a reason."

"I can't leave that - "

"You can and you will. Don't make me use the phone."

"This isn't over - "

The voice shifts back into growling but the Punisher actually retreats - Wade hears his human boots stomping down the stairs and the only gunpowder and blood he can smell is from his own wreck of a body.

The Devil turns his red eyes back toward him, sniffing and checking his body with a final tilt of his head. Wade doesn't speak wolf but he thinks he knows what the guy wants. He'll be easier to move if he's wolf-shaped but it's going to hurt like a motherfucker all over again. The Devil snorts.

Oh, challenge, huh? Fuck, he can't turn down a challenge. He shifts and his strange protector buries his teeth into the scruff of his neck like Wade's not double the little punk's size.

Wade's not going to die tonight and the Punisher's off his trail - for now - but more importantly - he's going to make a new friend.

If he survives the drop off the roof into the dumpster, that is.

* * *

Matt's face flashed with emotion and he shifted in a burst of speed, his sleek dark wolf shape darting out of the window and rattling across the fire escape. She was distracted or she would have scented the danger - the chemical tang of mad science and pain - before she spotted the giant alpha tackling Matt to the ground in a violent tussle of claws and teeth.

"What - " Luke growled but Jessica realized that the violence was more - play. They were playing like Pups.

She knew that wolf - not personally - but with his massive size, the number of scars and patches of missing fur - it could only be one wolf.

Danny whistled. "Well, he warned us."

"Not about Deadpool. That's what you see, too, right? Not just me?" Luke hesitated.

The bigger wolf had Matt pinned now, licking his fur like a cat with a lolling tongue. Matt finally struggled away and shook off the attention with more amusement than annoyance - and didn't that say a helluva lot.

"Haven't heard much about him on the news lately," Jessica considered.

A new voice responded from Matt's kitchen. "His kill count's been less than inspiring since he bonded, hasn't pulled a massacre since, what, 2013?"

Deadpool, okay, Jessica could deal with that - but an actual Avenger - the scariest one of all - was making coffee in Matt's kitchen. Natasha Romanov - the Alpha that was so badass that no one alive had ever seen her in shift. She was deadlier without the fur and Jessica had envied her from afar since childhood. This was not fair.

"Think so, don't really follow his stats," Hawkeye answered, sauntering down the stairs. "Perimeter seems fine, the Devil keeps Hell's Kitchen scented out."

Jessica remembered her voice. "How'd you get in if that's the case?"

"Mate," Natasha shrugged, smug. "And he knows we're here. We'll do introductions when Steve coaxes his Alpha up the stairs."

Exactly how many Alphas were they expecting?

* * *

  
"Ah, Matthew - I was hoping you'd come by. I'd like you to meet Captain Rogers."

Steve wipes his hand on his slacks before he shakes the blind man's hand. He doesn't speak immediately, waiting to see if the guy recognizes him - but how could he - they hadn't exchanged names, only some spit and some heavy petting - maybe a minimal amount of groping - but surely not enough for Matthew to pick him out from a handshake. A hand job is way different from a handshake, Steve's safe - he's totally got this.

"Honored," Matthew replies with a slight upturn of his mouth. "What brings you to our parish, Captain?"

Oh, wow. Okay, either he totally remembers getting Steve off last week or he just knows he's Captain America. He's still totally got this. "I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd see how the church handles the orphans on Moon nights."

He's not lying, he's just not mentioning the hour and a half spent in confession before the nice priest brought him some tissues and a snack.

"So the rumors are true, you were away a while," Matthew asks, inclining his head. Steve remembers how that jaw tastes but holds it together.

"My mother volunteered here before they had electricity, so yeah," Steve admits.

"I know most of the pups, if Father Lantom agrees - " Matthew starts.

The priest gives them a warm smile. "I'm sure they'd enjoy meeting Captain Rogers if he's up for it. They tend to behave around Matt which annoys the Sisters to no end so try and keep it brief."

Matt lays his fingers on Steve's arm and squeezes, leaning in close as he steers him with his tapping stick through the pews. "So. Captain."

"Steve," he says blankly.

"So. Steve."

"Put me out of my misery," Steve groans when they're in a back hallway away from the judging eyes of Jesus and Mary and all the rest.

He slides his hand up his forearm to squeeze his bicep. "I feel really stupid for not realizing who you were last time."

"I feel like I need to go back to confession," Steve blurts out.

Matt frowns sharply. "Absolutely not. I'm taking you for drinks after this and you're finding another priest to scandalize closer to home - Father Lantom would never forgive me."

Huh.

"Now, let's go be good Catholic examples of well-behaved wolves that live pure, clean lives."

"And then drinks?" Steve whispers.

"So many drinks," Matt says, squeezing his arm again.

* * *

  
"I met Matt through the church. I didn't do so well after they thawed me out," Captain America told Luke when he was settled in Matt's apartment with the Winter Soldier silently plastered to his side.

Barnes rumbled unhappily, the closest to words he'd gotten so far.

"He was - is - a gift. But then my original mate - my Alpha, came back and - " Steve hesitated.

"It got complicated," Matt finished, stepping out of his room. "I don't like him."

Barnes flipped him off with a growl and pulled Captain America closer to him as if he wasn't already sitting in his lap.

"We're working on it," Steve said firmly. "He's doing a lot better, don't antagonize him."

Deadpool swaggered out of the back and slung his arm around Matt's shoulders making him stagger a step. "You know, when the soldiers fucked around in my head, I just blew my brains out and everything was okay when I regenerated later."

"Yeah, we're not doing that," Steve frowned but Barnes eyed him with more curiosity than animosity - which was probably not a good thing.

Natasha called out from the kitchen. "_The Alpha seems okay but the Betas can fuck right off_." Luke was slightly insulted but Danny rolled his eyes when he glanced at him so Luke considered the truce as still in progress.

Matt hurried to do damage control and Bucky turned his full attention to Wade, finally using his words. "Soldiers in your head?"

Wade 'pffed'. "Old news. You guys knew Logan back in the diz-ay, right? I'm not as old as that asshole, but we do share certain DNA attributes that land us in mad science labs from time to time."

Barnes perked up to full attention. "Huh."

Steve blinked at his Alpha. "You know what he's talking about?"

"Fuck Stryker," Barnes spat and Deadpool's eyes widened on his mask.

Luke didn't know if a friendship between Deadpool and the Winter Soldier was a good idea.

"Off the record, Logan hates Matty so he's not allowed within three miles of the Kitchen, but he's got some psychics in his pocket that could probably take a look if you're trying to root out the triggers without a bullet," Wade shrugged. "Hasn't worked 100% for him, but he remembers more than he used to and nobody can hack his brain these days."

"Not a mutant," Bucky said.

"Just throwing it out there, not like you can name-drop me for a favor, those guys hate me," Deadpool shrugged. He turned his attention to Luke. "What's your story, Morning Glory? Why you trying to lock my boo down in a pack? You know he can kick your ass, right?"

"Yeah, we all know that. We didn't know about all the rest of it until recently," Luke replied. "We're strong already, but Pack - "

"You barely know each other, you're all pups," Steve said quietly. "You should wait."

Barnes snickered.

"We're fighting the same battles, we're fighting together - a pack bond would keep us safer than we are now," Luke added.

Deadpool hummed. "Sorry, still not sold - Matty's in with those Catholic dogs, he doesn't need a family pack. He's got two and a half mates and a church, so fuck you."

"Well, Matt never invited his mates over for a meeting before so obviously he's interested in the idea," Barnes said softly, elbowing Steve. "If you turn off your wolf-brains, is the answer the same?"

"Absolutely," Wade replied. "And for the record, if my wolf-brain was turned on, all of you would be dead by now."

That was good information to have.

* * *

  
Jessica tracked Matt to the roof while Natasha and Danny bickered in rising fervor about the wine the '_pack provided for their omega_'. Considering she found the 'omega' sharing a flask of cheap whiskey with Hawkeye, she wasn't too concerned.

"Uh oh, you're in trouble," Barton laughed.

She looked down at him and he offered her the flask. "Are you seriously going to leave us hanging the whole night?"

"You're doing fine," Matt waved her off as she took a long swallow and passed it back. "They're just posturing."

"Danny's going to cry if - " Jessica started but Matt waved her off again.

Clint motioned for her to sit. "You know Nat and Cap both have packs, right?"

She didn't but she's fucking listening now.

"So it's really Wilson you need to be winning over," Clint added.

"Nah, he's got a pack, too. They want me dead but they're not really in this 'verse' or something. He doesn't like to talk about it because of the whole bounty on my head and shit," Matt said.

Well fuck. "Then why - "

Matt yawned. "You want to make it legit, so there are rules. The mates have been informed, everything else is on me."

Jessica considered shoving him off the roof but settled for confiscating the flask from him. "You're a _dick_. If she makes Danny cry then you're handling it."

"He's a good Beta, hasn't shown his neck yet," Matt said. "Luke's got his back."

"It's really just a meet the in-laws kind of thing," Clint said, taking the flask back from her and tucking it out of both their reach. "We're not allowed to like Matty's Pack, just like you're not supposed to like us. Tears would be a good outcome, better than bloodshed."

Jessica leaned her head on Matt's shoulder and he patted her kindly. "Why couldn't you just be a normal wolf without all this mated omega bullshit to deal with?"

Clint laughed. "See? That's why you guys aren't going to have a problem. You aren't trying to bond him because of his designation - you just want his questionable vigilante skills - nobody downstairs is going to have a problem with putting a team in charge of keeping his impulsive ass in line."

"Wait, that's not - " Matt started but suddenly Jessica was a lot more optimistic about things. 

**Author's Note:**

> Title belongs to Arctic Monkeys. (This song always makes me think of the Defenders. I think if they went out drinking there would be some bar brawls and drunken cab rides and late night snacks and lots of flirting, and then cuddle piles. Or something like that.)


End file.
